Apparatus for conveying and handling puddle balls



Sept. 1l, 1923.

E. L. FORD APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND HANDLING PUDDLE BALLS Filed March 19. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept-1 l, 1923. E. L. FORD APPARATUS Non CONVEYING AND HANDLING PUDDLF BALLS Filed March 1Q 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hal"- Sept. 11, 1 923.

.v 1,467,540- 'Y E. l.. -FoRD APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AD HANDLING PUDDLE BALLS Filed March 19. 1921 5 Sheets-Sh'eet 3 INVENTOR.

Sept. 11,1923. Y 1,467,540

E. l.. FORD APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND HANDLING PUDDLE-BALLS Filed March 19, 1921 5 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR,

Slept. 1.1, T9253.

I E. L. FORD APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND HANDLING PUDDLE BALLS Filed March 19. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

emersa sept. n, reas.'

EDWARD L. ros-tn, or

xoua'resrowit, eine.

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING .AND IHlll'DlJN'G'r PUDDLE 13A-ILES.V

Application mea March-19,

To all 'Ll/7mm t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. FORD7 re'- siding at Youngstowmcounty ot Mahoning-5 and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Conveying and Handling Puddle Balls, of which the following is a full, clear. andexact description, reference being had to the accom-v panying drawings, forming part of this specification, is which: s

Figure 1 is a plan view ot one torm'oi apparatus embodying my invent-ion;

Figure 2 is a side elevation with certain parts in section and a portion of the press shown in dotted lilies; i n

Figure 3 is a section on the'line TTL-TIT ot Figure 1; i

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, lout showing some of the parts in different positions;

Figures 5 and 6 are views sirnilar7 respectively, to Figures 1 and 2', but showing a modification` My invention has relation to apparatus tor conveying and handling puddle`..balls, and more particularly for conveying puddle halls from a puddliug furnace to the press in which the halls are formed into ingots.y

These loalls are ot egg-shape and when dropped. int-o the ypress should fall rin such a. way that the ball is in position for immediately being squeezed without having to he aligned. The present invention is to provide means ot such a character that the hall when discharged 'from the conveying mechanism into the press will roll almost vertically into the press instead et slidingand thus` assume the proper position` Referring lirst to that form ot my invention shown in Figures 1 to 4t. inclusive. the numeral 2 designates a conveyor in the torni oit' a car :tor conveying the halls from the puddling furnace to the press. rlhis car majv he ot any suitable character and may he propelled by any suitable means. such as the electric motor 3. It travels on the tracks, at. which are extended on to av platform 5, in which is formed the hopper 6. which is immediatelyT over the cavity T ot the press 8. This press may he of any usual or suitable character, such, 'for instance, asv described and claimed in the copending application of Thomas M. Phillips, Serial No. 151.4152 tiled March 11. 1921. 9 designates the main ram oit the press and 10 the anvil opposite this ram.

' rails.

192,1. vSerial No. 453,802.

The car 2 is provided at its forward end with a. cradle 11, "which .forms the support y for the loalls. This cradle is pivotally mounted at its rear side, as indicated at 12,

to the frontend of the car proper, being also supported by the wheelsly on the axle 13. has approximately the form of a longitudi# nal section of a barrel with the two parallel ribs 14 rwhich extend substantially7 parallel with vthe longitudinal axis of thecar. These In the construction shown, thecradle ribs" are so spaced that they will supportthe puddlev ball (indicated in dotted lines) substantially half way loetween the middle of.

the hall and the end at eachside. The extensions 49 of the tracks 4i terminate in the downwardly curved portions ab, havin'gthe wheel rests 15 at their lower ends, these ends terminating a short distance in the rearvof` and `alcove the press cavity. Y l

1'6fis a leverhaving an upwardly extending arm adapted to engage the axle 13 when the Vear reaches the position' shown in Figures 1 and 2. This lever is pivoted at 17 'and has a segment y18, to which is connected pushing said lever forwardly and down# wardly as the wheels 13 ride downwardly upon the depressed port-ions 4b of the track The corresponding movement of the lever 16 raises the weight on the chain 19, to the position shown in Figure 4f. Vhen the wheels reach the seats 15, the puddle.

hall will rollotl from the cradle and through the hopper into the press. v movement will be ot such characterthat the loall is kept aligned, and any tendency for one end to slide ahead of the other is minimized. There may loe considerable variation in the position of the hall on the cradle, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, without affecting the proper discharge ot the hall into the'press. v i

vln the form otmy invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, instead oftilting thev cradle 11a to discharge the hall intothe hopper 6a ot the press, the' cradle is formed with two slots 22, inV which work two rocker arms 23,

This rolling uitk which correspond approximately in position to the positionfof the ribs 14 in the form first described. These rocker arms are rig-` idly secured to a transverse shaft 24, which is actuated by the connections 25 and 26, leading to the plunger of a power cylinder 27.

When the car reaches the position shown in full lines in Figures 5 and 6, the shaft 24 is actuated to rock the arm's 23, and thereby lift the puddle ball out ofthe cradle, these arms moving to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 6, causing the ball to roll therefrom through the hopper 6, and enterthe press.

l do not wishv to be limited to the particular embodiments of my' invention which l have herein shown and described, as it will be obviousv that the car or conveyer'may be widely changed in detail and that various changes may be made in the discharging apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

l claim:

l. In apparatus of the character described, a puddle ball conveyor having a cradle shaped to receive an elongated ball crosswise thereof, means associated with the cradle for engaging the under portions of the ball at each side ol its minor diameter, and mechanism for tipping said engaging means to el'ect a rolling discharge oit the ball in a path substantially at right angles to its greatest diameter, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a car having a cradle arranged to receive a puddle ball, a chute leading to a squeezing press, and mechanism for effecting a rolling discharge of ther ball from the cradle into said chute, substantially as described.

ln apparatus of the character described,

` a car having a supporting cradle arranged to receive an elongated ball transversely thereof, the cradle having' portions arranged to engage the ball at each side oi' its central minor axis, and mechanism for operating' the cradle to cause a rolling discharge of the ball through said engaging portions,

substantially as described.

4c. In apparatus of thecharacter described, the combination with a car, a transversely extending cradle pivoted to the forward portion ot the car, supporting wheels for said cradle, tracks for said wheels having downwardly curved portions at their. ends, and means for easing the movement of the wheels on said downwardly curved portions, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a car, a transversely extending` cradle pivoted to the forward portion of the car, a wheel axle having sup porting wheels Yfor said cradle, tracks for said wheels having' downwardly curved portions at their ends, and means tor easing the movement of the wheels on said downwardly curved portions, said means comprising a counterweig'hted lever adapted to engage the wheel axle of the cradle, substantially as described.

v In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD L. FORD. 

